Suzune's Story
by MewCuxie12
Summary: Suzune is 13 and living a normal life along with his best friend, Shino. That is, until an old family feud rises and Shino is kidnapped. On his mission to bring her back, he realizes he may like her as more than just a friend. REVIEW or no updates!
1. Chapter 1

Cuxie: NEW STORY!!! I've been threatening to write this forever so here it is!

Kazune: Um, what's with the intense typing? You're gonna break the keyboard.

Cuxie: Am not! I know what I'm doing! I just gotta get this story out NOW!!

Kazune:...Riiight. Well, then by all means.

Cuxie:Thank--wait! SOMEONE!! HELP!!

Suzune: **MewCuxie12 does NOT own Kamichama Karin or Shino from Pita-Ten**.

Cuxie: God, he's even cuter than I thought he'd be! X3 Rolling!

* * *

"Onii-chan! Hurry up!" A young girl stood at the bottom of the stairs, her long dirty-blond hair clipped back from her face. She wore the expensive black and white ruffled dress that was the Sakura Private Academy uniform. Her bright blue eyes closed and she sighed. "Mom...he's not listening. Again." Turning around, she stepped into the kitchen, grabbed a muffin off the counter, and sat down. "Onii-chan's still upstairs. At this rate we're going to be late."

A tall woman with light brown hair smiled graciously at her and set a glass of orange juice on the table. "I'm sure he'll be down any minute, Kazuka-chan." She a coffee mug down on the table, across from her daughter and in front of her husband.

"But it's the first day! He promised to walk me to my class," Kazuka said, pouting slightly. "It's the first day of school. We can't be late for the first day."

Across from her, Kazuka's father looked up. "She has a point, Karin. He gets his sense of punctuality from you, you know."

Karin looked over her shoulder at him. "And just what is _that_ supposed to mean?" He chuckled. "I'm punctual. Usually." He smirked at her and opened his mouth, as if to say something, when the back door flew open.

"Ohayo, minna-san." In stepped a girl, older than Kazuka but sporting the same uniform. She had soft, golden eyes and purple hair that brushed her shoulders. Two small silver crosses were clipped on either side of her hair. Closing the door gently behind her, she stepped forward clutching her school bag in one hand. "Ready, Kazuka-chan? Where's Suzune-kun?"

"He'll be down in a second!" Kazuka announced grandly, marching back out of the room and towards the stairs, muffin in hand.

"Ohayo Shino-chan," Karin said. "Have a seat. Suzune-kun's running a bit late." She handed her a glass of juice and pushed the plate of muffins towards her. "Help yourself."

"Thank you," Shino replied, super polite. She grabbed the smallest muffin and took a teensy bite and then a sip of her juice. From the kitchen, they could all hear Kazuka yelling:

"ONII-CHAN!! ONEE-CHAN'S HERE!!"

From upstairs, they heard a muffled response: "I'm coming!"

Kazuka strolled back in, looking satisfied. "_Now_he's coming." She took her seat, glancing over at Shino and gasping. "Onee-chan! What happened to your crown?"

Shino touched her head, still getting used to not feeling the small silver crown hair accessories she had worn for years. That morning after brushing her hair out and staring into her mirror, she'd decided that she had outgrown it. Still, the empty space on her head that it had occupied felt terribly obvious. "Oh, I took it off. I thought it was a little too...pretentious."

"Pretentious?"

"Flashy."

Kazuka shook her head. "No way. It was soo cute."

"I'm here!" Suzune blew into the kitchen, clutching his school bag in one hand. He ran past the table, grabbing a muffin with his free hand and heading towards the door. He flung it open. "C'mon, we're gonna be late!" Kazuka shook her head, smiling despite herself. She stood and Shino followed suit. Suzune held the door open for them as they all filed out, calling back to their parents. "Itekimasu!"

As they started towards the school Suzune took the girls' bags. "You're still walking me to class, right Onii-chan?" Kazuka asked.

He nodded, then turned to Shino. "Are you--" He paused, really looking at her for the first time all morning. "What happened to your crown?"

She blushed and touched her hair self-consciously. "I-Is it that noticeable?"

He cocked his head at her. "Well, not really, I guess. Maybe I'm just used to it. Did you lose it?"

"No. I just took it off." She looked down at her feet, purposely avoiding his eyes. There was something about them, wide, crystal clear, and green, and the curious way he looked at her that made her feel...funny. "Does it look okay though? I mean, I don't look weird without it, right?"

He shook his head. "No, of course not. Just...different. Why don't you want to wear it anymore?"

"She said it's too flashy," Kazuka said. "But it looked so cute on her, didn't it Onii-chan? Tell her it looked cute."

"It did look cute."

Again she ducked her head. Her face felt like it was on fire. _What's wrong with me?_In the nine years that they'd known each other, she had always worn her crown. She'd been wearing it when they'd met just like he'd been wearing that adorable bunny cap of his. But she'd continued to wear hers long after he'd outgrown his hat. (Which wasn't long after they'd met.) So it was understandable that he and Kazuka would be the first to notice. But now she wasn't sure if she regretted taking it off, or was glad he did because he'd complimented her. And did that mean she wasn't cute anymore now that she'd decided to lose it?

Suzune seemed oblivious. "So are you coming with me to walk Kazuka-chan to her class?"

"I guess so. Where is it?"

"Um, the elementary division?"

Shino giggled. "I thought so. So you don't know where exactly? How are you supposed to help her find it?"

"I can find," Kazuka answered. "I just wanted--Hey, there's Yori-kun!" She dashed ahead of them, running towards a dark-haired boy, calling his name. He looked back at her and smiled, waiting for her to catch up.

"Hey!" Suzune called after her. "I thought you wanted us to walk you!"

She looked over her shoulder. "I'm a big girl, Onii-chan. I can find it myself."

Suzune shook his head at her. "Really. I don't get her sometimes."

"She's so fickle," Shino added thoughtfully.

"Guess we're on our own."

They could already see the school gates ahead. Students were milling in from all directions. The entrance was clustered by group of kids, some eagerly awaiting the opening ceremony, others just loitering to avoid going inside. A sense of spring was in the air, obvious despite the slight chill.

"Kujyou-kun~!" Four sing-song voices harmonized. Shino froze, sensing more than seeing the approach of Suzune's, erm, _friends_. He turned just as they were swarmed, surrounded on all sides by girlish shrieks and squeals. "We caught you early!" "You should totally walk with us!"

"Um...okay?" More squeals erupted and Shino looked around desperately for a means of escape. The girls had converged to one side, her side, in an effort to keep her as far away from Suzune as possible. He shot Shino a desperate look and she forced her best fake smile.

"I think I see Tama-tan up ahead. I'll see you at the ceremony, okay?" She said. None of the girls so much as batted an eyelash at her, all too busy talking above each other in an effort to capture Suzune's attention. Her voice was lost to her own ears, but somehow he had picked it up above all the noise. He caught her eye again and nodded.

She sped ahead of them, walking fast but forcing herself not to run. She was surprised when she actually noticed Tama waiting for her up ahead. She'd said the words before she had even realized she'd seen her. _Looks like it's going to be another one of those years, _she thought to herself as she raced to catch up with her friend.

* * *

Cuxie: Teehee! It's done!

Suzune: Cool.

Cuxie: I know! And if you'll all notice, I didn't use any of the names from my poll. I looked/made one up. And I'm about 75% sure Kazuka means "peaceful flower". Correct me if I'm wrong.

Kazuka: Well, I think it's great.

Cuxie: Of course you do. Now please tell the people to review to get me to update.

Kazuka:...Review to get her to update.

Cuxie: Good job!


	2. Chapter 2

Cuxie: Welly well well! I'm back! Who missed me?

(-crickets chirping-)

Cuxie:=_= I see...so I guess no one wants an update.

Kazuka: N-No! We missed you! We missed you _so_ much!

Cuxie: That's better.^-^ Then on with the chappy!

* * *

"The lunches here get better every year!" Tama exclaimed enthusiastically. Shino smiled at her. They were such opposites. Where she was normally calm and reserved, Tama was always excited and bubbly. It was part of what made her undoubtedly the cutest girl in school. The other part was her cute sense of style. Even in a uniform, she stood out with her large flower hair-clips and pigtails. She was the type of person who could get along with anyone and everyone.

"Where are the guys?" Shino asked, looking around the crowded cafeteria for their other friends. Normally, she could spot them easily. Every year they chose a new table to sit at. Suzune and Ren would decide on which table was the "luckiest" that year. Since they almost always got to the cafeteria first, they'd scout out the tables, pick one, and it officially became their table for the remainder of the year. Everyone acknowledged that.

A thought struck her. She turned to Tama, eyes wide. "Y-You don't think they're...you know..._not_..." she trailed off fearfully.

"No way!" Tama shook her head furiously. "T-That's not possible!"

"But I don't see--" A hand clamped down on her shoulder. "Eep!" She spun around and then sighed in relief.

Ren Akai was grinning at them, his hands clasped on both their shoulders. "Found ya." Locks of bright auburn hair fell across his face and his eyes shone playfully.

"Oi, Ren-kun! Don't scare us like that," Tama said, feigning anger. Tama rarely ever got angry at anyone.

"Sorry, sorry," He said, not sounding sorry at all. He turned them around and steered them towards their table for the year. Suzune was already seated, halfway through his lunch in a matter of minutes. This year's spot was in a somewhat secluded corner of the cafeteria, which was a bit odd. They usually chose a center table. But as they got closer Shino did start to feel what Suzune and Ren referred to as a _lucky vibe_.

The cafeteria was adjacent to the gymnasium, so the ceiling was every bit as high. There were small windows running along the sides of the wall, and the two directly above their table bathed it in sunlight.

"Pretty awesome, huh? We figure the sun will always hit this spot during our lunch shift," Ren said.

"Unless it's cloudy," Tama mentioned.

"Or rainy," Shino added.

Ren groaned. "You two are such downers!" They giggled, seating themselves in their classic square arrangement: Shino next to Suzune, Ren across from Suzune, and Tama next to Ren and across from Shino. The table could technically seat more than four people, so anyone privileged enough to sit with them was a guest.

"I've captured the princesses," Ren announced once they were seated.

"We were starting to think you guys might've, you know...." Shino trailed off uncertainly.

Suzune shook his head. "Not possible. That's why we go through all the trouble of picking a table." Since elementary school, for whatever reason, thanks to whatever God was watching over them, they always had lunch at the same time even though there were four different lunch shifts. As well as a class they all shared together. The first year, it was just a coincidence. The second year, it was lucky. From the third year on, they called it fate.

"Did you bring them, Tama-tan?" Shino asked, referring to another part of their lucky year ritual.

Tama grinned, her bright violet eyes glittering. "Of course I did!" She pulled a small brown paper bag out of her school bag. She placed it in the center of the table. "I think this year's batch is the best yet!" Tama, being a huge fan of fortune telling, has the yearly duty of baking the First-Day Fortune Cookies. These weren't your average fortune cookies either. She bakes cookies in different shapes and designs. Everyone randomly draws one from the bag and Tama deciphers the fortunes. She considers herself in expert in these sort of things. "Four cookies. Who goes first?"

"I'll go," Ren announced, sticking one hand in the bag. He pulled out a cookie and immediately bit into it.

"Hey! I have to tell you what it means," Tama protested. He shrugged and held up the remains of a crescent moon-shaped cookie with blue icing. "Study Luck. This year will bring good grades and you'll be fortunate on all tests," she said. She sent him a teasing look. "I think you'll need that Ren-kun."

"Can't hurt. But we all know who needs it the most," he chuckled, looking up at his friend.

Suzune groaned. "Well, there goes my hope of passing this year." He tended to, uh, take after his mother in terms of study habits. Unlike his sister, who was an honor student like their dad had been.

"You'll be fine," Shino assured him. "You always manage somehow." Which was true. Finals last year had been a thin thread of hope for him, but with a little help studying everything worked out the way it always did.

"C'mon, Suzune-kun," Tama pushed the bag towards him. "You have to go into this with a positive attitude! That's the only way it'll work!"

"Alright, whatever you say." He reached into the bag and pulled out the first thing his fingers touched. "What's this mean?" He held up a yellow-iced star cookie.

"Ooh! That's one I made up," she giggled. "It's Random Luck. Lots of unexpected good things will happen to you this year."

"I hope one of them involves acing a test," he bit into it. "This taste great."

"Yeah," Ren agreed. "If you never make it as a professional fortune teller at least you'll have your baking to fall back on." He ruffled her hair playfully and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Shino-chan?"

"Uh...you first."

Tama blinked at her, then shrugged. She closed her eyes and reached blindly into the bag, pulling out a round, smiley-face cookie. "Oh, yay! I got Friendship Luck! My current friendships will become stronger and I'm going to make tons of new friends this year."

Shino giggled. _Like she needed a fortune cookie to tell her that. _"Guess it's my turn." As she reached into the bag, Tama started giggling. _There's only one left so she already knows what I'm going to get_,Shino reasoned. _But I wonder what's so funny about it..._

"Oh..." She stared blankly at the pink, heart-shaped cookie in her hand.

"Tee hee! Oh, Shino-chan! You got Love Luck," Tama announced joyfully. "You're totally going to fall in love and get a boyfriend this year!"

"Eh?" Her face cycled through several shades of red. "T-That can't be right..."

"Is too," Tama said confidently. "I bet you'll have a date by the end of the week."

Shino ducked her head, suddenly becoming acutely aware of just how close she was sitting to Suzune. _Oh man, why'd I have to get that cookie? There's no way it can be right...but Tama-tan's readings have never been wrong before._ No matter how much she wanted to deny it, something like excitement was bubbling up inside her.

She bit into her cookie to avoid having to speak.

"Well, I know one thing for sure," Ren said, looking over Shino's shoulder. "You better hope it's not the Karasuma kid."

"Huh?"

"He's been staring at you for the past ten minutes."

Shino peeked over her shoulder.

Behind them, in the substantially darker corner, sitting alone at a table, was Kiriko Karasuma. In front of him was an open book, but his attention seemed focused on them. Shino locked eyes with him. His face flushed and he readjusted his glasses, looking away.

Shino spun back around in her seat, a chill creeping down her spine. "H-He scares me."

"He scares everyone. He never talks and always reads those weird books," Ren stated. "Sakio says he casts spells and sends demons out on anyone he doesn't like."

Tama nudged him, frowning disapprovingly. "That's just rumors. You shouldn't talk about people that way, Ren-kun."

"There's nothing wrong with being aware. You'll let us know if you see any demons, right Shino?" He winked at her.

"Aw, knock it off," Suzune said, giving her a concerned look. Despite the fact that she tried to hide it, he was as tuned into her feelings as he was his own. Spending nine years of your life with someone tends to do things like that. "He's not going to do anything to you."

"I know," she said, forcing a small laugh. But even as she said, she was weighed down my the feeling of two blood-red eyes watching her...

* * *

Cuxie: Uhhh...sorry. Didn't mean for the ending to sound so...creepy.

Suzune: This is going to come back to haunt us, right?

Cuxie: Eh...yeah, probably.^^

Suzune: Knew it.

Cuxie: But you'll pull through! Hopefully...I'd suggest you be on the look out for demons and the paranormal.

Suzune: Uh, you're really not helping.

Cuxie: Aw, nuts! And I was trying so hard. :( Oh, well! :) R&R plz!! I'll return sooner! Promise!


	3. Chapter 3

Cuxie: I'm here! I'm alive! The story shall go on!

Ren:...Have you no shame?

Cuxie: Yes! I have shame! I have plenty of shame!

Ren: That's for sure.

Cuxie: You say such mean things, Ren-kun.~3~

Ren: You're just sensitive. Or maybe it's insensitive. What's the word for when someone cares about themselves but doesn't give a crap about their characters or fans or stories?

Cuxie: OK! I get it! Sheesh...you're lucky you're so cute or I'd be really upset with you.

Ren: It's a love-hate thing.

Cuxie: Rooooollllllliiiiiinnnnng!

* * *

"Kujyou-kuuuun~!"

"Akia-sama!"

"You're so cool!"

Girls screamed as Suzune and Ren led the boys gym class around the track. Several paces ahead of the rest of their class, Ren took his time to smile and wave at the girls' class across the field. They had a slightly less arduous activity: baton twirling. The classes were rarely ever combined because, for instance, knowing how to twirl a baton was a fundamental skill for girls and not boys for reasons no one really understood.

"Does that even count as exercise?" Ren asked and they completed their final lap within seconds of each other. He stared skeptically as the girls tried to twirl in some kind of synchronized pattern. "They're just spinning sticks."

Suzune shrugged, grabbing a towel off of the bench by the gate and sitting down. "Maybe there's some hidden skill to it." His eyes were fixed on a purple-haired figure a few yards away who couldn't seem to keep her baton in her hand. "It must be harder than it looks." His expression became slightly sympathetic. It was no secret that Shino wasn't exactly...athletically inclined.

Ren followed his gaze, wincing as Shino's baton flew from her hand again and rebounded to hit her on the head. "That had to hurt."

Despite their gym teacher's efforts, the girls didn't seem very organized in their lesson. Only a handful were actually attempting to twirl. Some were just chatting and a lot of the girls were distracted by the fact that Suzune Kujyou and Ren Akai seemed to be staring at them.

"Ladies! Focus!" Their teacher shouted. "Three rotations and toss! Ready?" The girls got ready, two dozen silver rods whipping through the air. "Aaaand...toss!"

The batons were thrown up, some landing easily back in the hands of the girls that had thrown them. Others falling to the ground all around them as the girls scattered to catch them. But one in particular...

"DUCK!" Ren leaned forward as a baton came arcing towards him, brushing across his hair less than an inch from his face, and crashing into the fence behind him. He turned around slowly, clutching the side of his head where the baton nearly hit. He turned back, wide-eyed.

"That was close," Suzune said.

"No kidding!"

Shino came running towards them, gasping for breath and bowing low in front of Ren. "I'm _so _sorry, Ren-kun!"

He chuckled, albeit a little shakily. "It's cool. I'm still in one piece."

She walked around them, retrieving her baton sullenly, like a child being punished. "I'm terrible at this."

"Try rotating your wrist when you twirl it," Suzune advised, moving his hand around in a slow circle to demonstrate.

"My wrist?" She looked down at the baton in her hand and tried to mimic his movement. Ren cringed away from her as she attempted to try again. The baton moved slowly, but was otherwise in control. "Hey, it works!" She grinned.

"See?" Suzune smiled back.

"Higuchi-san! No fraternizing during class," her teacher yelled. "Our lesson is over here!

Shino flushed, looking sheepish. "Coming!" She glanced back the boys. "Sorry again Ren-kun. And thanks Suzune-kun." She headed back over to her class as the girls prepared to attempt their stunt again.

Most of the boys were finished their laps and contented themselves with watching the girls. Both classes were drawing to an end as the girls started their last twirl and toss routine. "Let me know if anything else comes flying this way," Ren said, his eyes following Shino's baton as it twirled high and then came sailing down as she fumbled to catch it.

"I think she'll be fine," Suzune said confidently.

"For now, maybe." Ren said. "But we've still got a week left to go of this. And I'd like to make it through with my head on straight."

After gym there was only one more class left for them. One look at their schedules told them that Suzune and Ren wouldn't be having class together, but it also told them that their classes happened to be right next to each other's. They walked down the hall with the easy-going confidence most upperclassmen had. Or, at least, Ren did; winking at the lower-class girls and calling out to anyone he knew in the halls.

Suzune, on the other hand, seemed troubled.

"Hey, Ren...has Kiriko Karasuma been following us since we got out of the locker room?" Suzune glanced discreetly over his shoulder at the shorter, dark-haired boy. He was several feet behind them and so inconspicuous that he probably would've gone unnoticed if it hadn't been for the way his eyes bore into Suzune's back. It gave him chills.

"_Yes_," Ren said, as if he was shocked Suzune hadn't realized it earlier. "He's been following us all day. I think he's targeted one of us. At lunch I thought it was Shino he was paying so much attention to, but maybe it's one of us." He was already whispering, but his tone dropped another level. "Maybe he's putting a curse on us!"

"Oh, stop it, Ren. He's probably not so bad once you get to know him. Maybe he just has something to tell us." Although even he was doubtful about that. Like some of their other classmates, Kiriko had been attending school with them since first grade. But they'd never actually spoken. In fact, Kiriko never really spoke to anyone.

"Well, we can't have a conversation if he stays _spying distance _from us," Ren pointed out. "And I don't really want to."

"Maybe he's in one of our class-"

"Don't say that! You'll jinx us!"

The blonde boy sighed, giving up on trying to make Ren see reason. "Fine. But you know Tama-tan would be offended if she knew you were worried about jinxes and curses after eating her lucky cookies."

"Well," Ren scratched his head somewhat shamefully. "My cookie only covered studying and tests. It doesn't protect me against curses."

They came to their two adjacent classrooms, C-3 and C-4. Ren went into C-4, shaking his head in pity as Suzune enter the class next to his, followed closely by Kiriko Karasuma. Suzune sensed the presence behind him and tried not to be disappointed or worried. Reminding himself that there was nothing to the rumors about Kiriko. Just because he read weird books and kept to himself didn't necessarily mean anything.

"Suzune-kun!" Shino waved him over. She was sitting one row back near the window next to an empty desk. He sat down next to hear, sighing in relief when Kiriko took a seat in the very back row. He no longer felt like he was being watched and wondered if maybe Kiriko had found something else to focus on. Shino cocked her head at him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

She furrowed her brows together. "You're not very good at lying."

He winced, slightly embarrassed that she could see right throw him so well. But he guess those kinds of powers came with the title Best Friend. "Ren's just been acting weird about Karasuma-san and I guess it's rubbing off. He thinks he's been watching us a lot lately. You know, like spying."

Shino's face paled visibly at the mention of Kiriko. "O-Oh. Him. He is in my second period." Her tone didn't ease any of his worries. He was hoping for some reassurance, like: 'Oh! Him? He's in my second period. He's nothing to worry about.' But coupled with the look on her face, her statement seemed to imply that she was thinking along the same lines as Ren was.

"Let's not worry about it," Suzune said. "I don't want to think about anything weird anymore."

"Yeah, you're right. We'll ruin our lucky vibes."

Just as the bell rang, a few stray students came rushing in. One girl in particular squealed when she saw Suzune and took the seat directly behind him. Shino's shoulder fell slightly. _Great. A Suzune-Z_*_ member. So much for luck_, she thought, imagining a full year of having to listen to the enamoured sighs and squeals everytime Suzune so much as shifted in his seat.

But Suzune didn't seem the least bit bothered, if he was even aware that one of his fangirls was sitting behind him. He seemed oblivious to the affect he had on most girls. The golden-eyed girl found it astonishing that he thought the attention they gave him was no more than a friendly interest.

"Alright class," their teacher began amicably. "I hope we have a wonderful year together..." Shino tuned in politely, attempting to put her thoughts to rest. She was a very well-behaved student after all.

First class lectures were always the longest. Five minutes in, Suzune was fast asleep with his head resting on his desk, arms crossed. Shino stifled a giggle behind her hand. He was so adorable when he was sleeping it often made her flashback to when they were little. Still, this wasn't exactly the time or place for an afternoon nap.

_But he __**did**__ do a lot of running last period,_ she thought, reconsidering waking him. _And I guess Sensei won't notice us all the way over here..._His shoulders rose and fell slightly, making a lock of bright blonde hair fall across his forehead. She marveled at how anyone could fall alseep so quickly, and fought the sudden urge to poke his face. While their teacher droned on and he continued to sleep, she shook her head hopelessly even though he couldn't see.

_He's totally going to fail this class._

* * *

* (Yes! I had too! How could I not?)

Cuxie: Teehee! Kawaii, ne? Suzune-kun's such a cutie pie!

Ren: And here I thought you were crushing on me.

Cuxie: Don't flatter yourself. I love Suzune-kun only!

Suzune: I, uh, thought you liked my dad.~_~

Cuxie: Yeah, but he's too old for me in this story. So you'll do!^-^

Suzune: Thanks?

Cuxie: Of course! R&R! Your support means so much to us...(single tear falls)

Ren: Drama Queen. =_=


	4. Chapter 4

Cuxie: Oi! I'm back! Someone greet me!

Shino: Um, hi?

Kazuka: So you're back?

Cuxie: Touzen desu! Datte watashi wa...sekai de ichi-ban ohime-sama!

Kazuka&Shino:...Eh? O.o

Cuxie: "Of course! Because I am...the #1 princess in the world!"

Kazuka: _That's_ not conceited. ~_~

Shino: I think she's been listening to "World Is Mine".

Kazuka: I don't care. Are you going to start the chapter?

Cuxie: Hai!

Kazuka:...Whatever.

Cuxie: Atsuen! ;)

(I **so** do not speak Japanese and I **have **been listening to "World Is Mine". Just spoutin' lyrics. XD)

* * *

**Second Period (9:50) - Three seats to my left.**

**Lunch - One table away, directly in front of me. (Note: From past observation, she's not likely to move from day to day.)**

**Fifth Period - One seat over and two rows up. Right next to ****him****.**

Kiriko scribbled in his black leather-bound notebook, simultaneously taking notes for class. His attention was divided equally between the lesson and _her_. The work load in any class only required so much of his attention. Which was fine with him since it meant he was able to devote more time to his...interest.

He flipped back to the inside cover of the book.

**Stats:**

**Height: 5'2''**

**Weight: 45kg**

**Hair: Barely shoulder-length (slightly longer than last year)**

**Current address: Same**

**Current phone number: Same**

**Notes: She has removed her crown for reasons unknown.**

**Schedule:**

**1st period - Algebra**

**2nd period - Home Ec***

**3rd period - Investigative Science**

**Lunch - Shift 2***

**4th period - Gym**

**5th period - Literature***

**Current Club Responsibilities:**

**N/A**

Because his name was also inscribed on the inside cover, he never wrote her name or any specific descriptions of her appearance. If someone were to really look through everything and research a bit, they'd quickly be able to figure out who he had written about. But that wasn't a major concern to him. He never let the book out of his sight.

And it wasn't like he needed to write any vivid descriptions to remember what she looked like. He could recite on demand multiple verses of poetry describing her appearance at any given time on any given day. Especially here and now since she was sitting next to the window and the sun cast rays of light on her at just the right angle. He only wished he was facing her; he could only imagine how the light made her golden eyes glow.

As if reading his mind, she turned her head just enough to the right so that he could see her profile and he immediately diverted his attention. But not before he saw the slight smile on her face. Was she happy to find him watching her? He looked up again.

She was smiling at _him_.

A scowl brewing just underneath his carefully guarded face, he looked down again. She was _always _smiling at him. _Only _him. It baffled and infuriated the dark-haired boy to no end.

He decided to focus back on his carefully recorded data to keep any forbidden expressions from his face. He was always thinking and it had taken him years to keep his face from betraying his thoughts.

His statistics, apart from the new schedule, hadn't changed much since last year. The change from year to year was never really dramatic - she got a little taller, her weight rose a little to match her height, her hair grew out a bit or she cut it a little. She'd never moved and her house number remained the same. He was uncertain of whether or not she owned a cell phone. (And the mere fact that he was uncertain probably meant she didn't, or if she did she hadn't owned it for very long.)

The only troubling thing was the fact that she'd removed her crown. Why? It looked perfect on her, in his opinion. One of her charm points. He racked his brain for any possible reasons for this change until he filed the question away in his mind. It would be one of the ones he asked her on the day they ever spoke.

And that day would come. He was certain.

_Soon_, he thought.

His observations of her had started back in 2nd grade. Three days after his first encounter with her. Even then, he was about as much of a social pariah as he was now. He kept to himself alot and didn't really find the little toys and knick-knacks the other kids were playing with very amusing. He was known for spouting off random facts that often confused people.

Needless to say, he was picked on.

On that day, the kids seemed a bit relentless. It was recess and he'd been sitting on top of the broken slide. Several of the rungs were missing and loose so he had to climb on the railing to get up. He was watching the other kids play (something that completely fascinated him at times), and mentally reciting the Greek alphabet.

Then the slide started to shake. He turned around. A small army of little boys had climbed their way up to where he was sitting. One of them reached for him and he leaned away. "What are you doing?"

"We're not 'sposed to play on here!"

Now not only did that not answer his question, but it was completely irrelevant. He wasn't playing on it; he was sitting. And if they thought that was so wrong why were they coming up as well?

One of them, a puffy-faced red-head pushed himself up by the railing until he was eye-level with Kiriko. "Get down!"

Kiriko stared at him unabashedly. "Why?"

"We're not 'sposed to play on here!"

"I'm not playing."

"Get _down_!" This last command was followed by a rough push. By the time he realized what was happening, he'd landed face first in the sand. There was some laughter, followed by someone digging their heels into his back. Then they ran off before they were caught.

He stayed there on the ground for a very long time. It made no sense to him. He didn't know them. He couldn't have possibly have offended them in any way. He wasn't in anybody's way. So _why_?

Something landed on his back. His face was pressed back into the dirt.

"Owwie..." A little purple-haired girl laid across him. She pushed herself up, therefore pushing him further down. Then she seemed to notice he was underneath her. "Oh! I'm sorry!" She sat back, giving him room to sit up. He didn't move. "Hello?" She shook his shoulder. "Are you gonna get up?"

He rose slowly, keeping his face down. His eyes stung with sand and something else. Something that made him want to curl up into a little ball and hide. He squeezed them shut and felt a few tears slide free.

The girl cocked her head at him. "Are you okay? Does it hurt?" She reached a hand towards him and he turned sharply away from her. His misery was clearly evident on his face and he didn't want her to see. He wiped his hands across his face, smearing dirt and tears.

She stared at him then looked around. On her back was a little black bag with small bat wings. She pulled it around into her lap and reached inside. Then she took something out and placed it on his knee. She got up quickly, dusting her dress off, and ran back the way she came.

Still keeping his head down, Kiriko turned. On his knee was a creme-filled chocolate cookie. He sniffled, picking it up gingerly and stared at it.

_Oh..._ It took him a while to come up with a word for what she'd just done. But when he realized it, he was every bit as confused as when he'd been surrounded by the little boys.

She'd been _nice_ to him. For once, one of his classmates had actually treated him like he was just another person and not a freak of nature. He'd revelled in that moment for years.

And so he developed a fondness for her that he didn't have for anyone else. At first, it was merely respect and admiration. She was gentle and sweet with everyone. That kindness she had demonstrated towards him hadn't been a rare glimpse of her good side. It was just the way she was. She was simply a _good_ person.

Somewhere along the line, he realized that the feelings he had were commonly referred to as 'love'.

He was in love with her.

He had no idea what to do with these feelings, so he did what he always did. He watched her.

It didn't take long to realize that, while she was normally friendly, she was particularly familiar with one Suzune Kujyou, and had been for as long as he could recall.

This shouldn't have bothered him. Everyone, for some reason or another, was inclined to like Suzune. And it wasn't like Suzune had personally done anything to him. Still, the hatred grew. Why should _he_ get to be so close to her? What was it about Suzune that made her look at him the way she did? The way Kiriko wanted her to look at him.

It wasn't fair. And he didn't understand it.

So this year would be different. Long before school started, Kiriko had decided that while he would continue to observe her, he'd observe _him_as well. By his logic, if he could figure out what it was about Suzune that made her so fond of him, he could imitate it. Then, perhaps, she'd become just as fond of Kiriko.

He looked up at her again. She was still smiling, gazing at Suzune while he slept through the day's lesson. _What could possibly be so absorbing about watching him sleep? He's going to fail._ It completely confounded him.

He furrowed his brows together slightly, his mouth turned down in what could barely pass as a frown. _I'll figure it out. I'll figure it out in no time at all._

* * *

Cuxie: Woooooooooow. I've, uh, I've never written about a stalker before. Notice how I got through the whole thing without using Shino's name? ;)

Kiriko: I am no such thing. I'm merely an observer.

Cuxie:(cough)Stalker!(cough)

Kiriko: =_=

Suzune: Zzzzzzzz...

Cuxie: Aww! How can you _not_ see what's so interesting about him? He's adorable! X3 R&R!


	5. Chapter 5

Cuxie: WAHOO!

Ren: A bit louder. They didn't hear you in China.

Cuxie: Guess who just recieved a federal reserve note worth 50 smackeroos?

Ren: Um...what?

Cuxie: I got 50 bucks! In the mail! Today!

Ren: Why?

Cuxie: Because I'm just..that...LOVEABLE!

Ren: _Or_you got someone else's mail.

Cuxie: Nuh-uh! Mine! Mineminemineminemine-

Ren: OK!

Cuxie: Now! Fueled by the awesome power of money, I will update!

* * *

"You guys ready?" Kazuka asked excitedly.

"Uh..."

"N-Not really."

"Great!" Pressing '_Play_', she leaned back into the expanse of plush pillows covering the floor in front of the wide-screen. It was their weekly movie night. It was Kazuka's turn to pick the movie and she tended to favor horror films, much to her brother and Shino's dismay. Tonight's film was something about demon possession and exorcisms.

The blonde girl made herself comfortable, setting the large bowl of popcorn within arms reach and hugging Shii-chan and Sora, their cats, to her chest.

As soon as the first dark creature crawled across the screen, Shino shrieked, grabbing Suzune's arm. "I-It's fine..." he assured her, looking slightly pale himself. "It's fine. Just a movie." Kazuka watched with rapt attention. Her eyes stayed glued to the screen while she absentmindedly shoveled handfuls of popcorn into her mouth. "Kazuka, do you always have to pick such weird stuff?" Her brother admonished.

She held her finger to her lips. "Shh!"

He groaned. There was no arguing with Kazuka when it came to this sort of stuff. Unlike most girls her age, his sister had a fearless nature that led her do things other girls, and plenty of boys, wouldn't dare attempt. (Her most recent hobby was rock-climbing, and she had an impressive collection of weapons from the Edo period.) She was ridiculously hard-headed, something that usually put him in less-than-desirable situations.

"This is my favorite part," she said, which set off warning bells in his head. Before he could even ask, a vicious black scaly creature crawled from the mouth of the poor man on screen, raking its claws against the man's stomach as it emerged. Blood and gore spilled from the open wounds in the man's chest and the creature let out a blood-curdling screech, whipping it's head around as venom spilled from the jagged teeth in its wide mouth.

Shino screamed again, burying her face in Suzune's neck. "Cripes, Kazuka! What is this rated?" He knew from the way she was shaking that his friend would most likely be covering her eyes for the rest of the movie. And they were only about ten minutes into it.

"Oh, don't be such a baby." Turning around slightly, the young blonde flashed him a wicked grin. "Besides Onii-chan, I'm doing you a favor." He sent her a quizzical look and she nodded towards Shino, who was trembling in his arms while he rubbed her back to calm her down. The message there was obvious to Kazuka, but her brother didn't seem to get it. She rolled her eyes, sighing. He never was very quick to pick up the obvious signs. But that never stopped her from trying. "Pretend it's like a test of courage."

"I-I-Is it over y-yet?" Shino stuttered.

"Of course not! They haven't even made their human sacrifice to the kibagurui yet!"

Shino whimpered.

Suzune was just about to ask how many times his sister had seen this movie, when a sharp ringing sound cut through the air. Shino jumped, her arms tightening around his neck. Kazuka looked up excitedly, shouting something about 'narikama'. "Relax, it's just my phone." Shino loosened her hold while he dug his cell phone out. Kazuka glared daggers at him. "Onii-chan! No cell phones in the movie theater!"

"Sorry." He glanced at the caller id. It was Unknown. "Hello?"

There was a pause on the other line. "Is this Suzune Kujyou?"

"Yes."

_Click._

"Hello?" Suzune pulled the phone away from his ear. The screen read 'Call Ended'. "...Weird."

"Who was it?" Shino asked.

"I don't know. They just asked for my name and hung up."

"That's kinda...creepy."

"It was probably just Ren pulling pranks." He tried to dismiss it quickly. But in the back of his head he couldn't help but think that it hadn't sounded like Ren's voice.

"Whatever. Now turn that off, Onii-chan," Kazuka said impatiently. "You're missing the best part!"

They sat through another hour of gore and mayhem, watching various demons creep and crawl all over the screen. Kazuka didn't so much as blink at all the blood and guts flying everywhere. Shino never even turned her head back towards the screen, jumping every time one of the monsters growled or their victims screamed. More than once Suzune questioned the rating. And he found he was holding onto his best friend more to comfort himself than to comfort her. It was embarrassing that his little sister was less scared than he was.

It wasn't until the movie was coming to an end that Kazuka fell asleep. Suzune wasn't surprised; she usually only stayed awake for the actiony parts and didn't really care how the movie ended. And she had clearly seen this one before. He turned it off, telling himself it was for Shino's sake.

At the sudden silence, Shino pulled her head up from his shoulder. "K-Kazuka-chan's asleep?"

"Uh-huh."

She let go of Suzune, giving him room to get up so that he could take Kazuka upstairs. "These movies get bloodier every week. Doesn't she like anything a little...calmer?"

"Well, her old kick was murder mysteries," he commented, lifting his sister onto his back. "That's sorta calmer, right?"

"Comparatively, I guess." Shino followed him upstairs. She'd had her own room in the Kujyou household since grade school. It had formerly been a guest room, but the house was more than big enough to accommodate her. She kept some clothes, books, and a few personal items there. She didn't sleep over every night, but she did often enough.

She waited outside of Kazuka's room while Suzune put her to bed. He tucked her in and closed the door softly behind him. "I don't see how she doesn't have nightmares," he said.

"Never?"

"Not that I've known of."

"Well, I definitely will tonight," Shino muttered miserably.

Suzune gave her a sympathetic look. "We don't have to go to sleep now. Do you want to watch another movie? It might take your mind off it."

"Sure." She didn't want to keep him up, but she was entirely too jumpy to go to bed yet.

They headed back downstairs. Suzune turned towards the kitchen. "You pick the movie, I'll make some more popcorn." She nodded and went into the living room. While she was sifting through the DVDs, the phone started ringing. Without a second thought, she grabbed for the phone beside the couch before it could wake everybody up.

"Hello? Kujyou residence."

There was a sharp gasp from the other end.

"Uh, hello?" she asked again.

"...S-Shino Higuchi?"

"Um...yes. Who is-"

_Click._

"Hello? Hello?" After a few more tries, she put the phone down, her hands shaking. "What...What was t-that about?" The person on the other end clearly recognized her voice. But the only people who would call Suzune's house looking for her were Tama and Ren, and it hadn't sounded like either of them.

"Shino?" Suzune appeared carrying a large bowl of popcorn. Seeing the traumatized look on her face, he put the bowl down and went to her side. "What's wrong?"

"T-The phone...someone weird called. Just now."

"Someone weird?"

"S-Someone...uh," she paused, trying to collect herself. Suzune ushered her towards the couch. "Someone just called. I-I answered, and then they said my name."

"They were calling for you?"

She shook her head. "It sounded like they recognized my voice, but they were surprised it was me."

"So...they called, you answered, they asked for your name...and then?"

"They hung up."

Suzune thought about that for a moment. He had the sneaking suspicion that whoever it was had called his cell earlier that night. Still, logic said that this was all just some sort of prank. It wouldn't be that hard for someone to get a hold of his number, he supposed. Ren had probably talked one of his brothers into doing it.

Focusing back on Shino, she still looked spooked. "Don't worry too much about it. I think someone's just trying to mess with me."

"Why would anyone want to do that?"

"Because Ren's a dork," he said, grinning at her. "So what movie did you pick?"

Less than twenty minutes later, they were both sound asleep in front of the TV. Shino, naturally, had picked a bloodless, goreless chick flick that Suzune tolerated simply because it would calm her down. It wasn't long before their mystery caller was completely forgotten.

* * *

Cuxie: Yahoo! A mystery! Well, a mystery for Suzune and Shino. It's pretty obvious who it is.

Shino: Eh? Who is it?

Cuxie: You don't get to know because you're a character.

Suzune: That's not fair.

Cuxie: (blush) Ok, I'll tell you. (whispers in Suzune's ear)

Suzune: EH? Really?

Cuxie: Yeah, but you've gotta pretend you don't know when you're in the story!

Shino: Why does he get to know?

Cuxie: (blush) 'Cause he's cute. =^-^= R&R!


	6. Chapter 6

Cuxie: Salut, mes amies! Ca va?

Kazuka: I think we need to change her language setting.

Suzune: She has a language setting?

Kazuka: (turning knob on Cuxie's back) Let's try it...this way.

Cuxie: Konnichiwa! Watashi wa Cuxie desu! Atsuen!

Kazuka: No... (still turning) How about this?

Cuxie: Ciao! Tutto bene!

Kazuka: Still no good, huh?

Suzune: How many settings are there? O.o

Kazuka: Here. (turning knob the other way) There!

Cuxie: Oh...Hello there. It's very nice too see all of you again. How about I start the chapter, hm? ^^

Kazuka:...This still isn't right.

Suzune: What? But that was English!

Kazuka: Yeah, but it wasn't Cuxien. (pulls knob off) Now how are you, Cuxie?

Cuxie: Absopositively fantastical! Let's get this chappy rolling, yo! X3

Kazuka: Much better.

* * *

Kiriko Karasuma was tired. More than tired. Dog tired. Exhausted. He hadn't gotten a wink of sleep last night. He'd been doing...research.

As a part of his plan to become more like Suzune Kujyou, he'd decided to learn the basic information about him. Kiriko had gotten a matching notebook like the one he kept for Shino to record information about Suzune. And naturally the basics would include contact information; address, class schedule, _phone numbers_...

He had been double checking Suzune's cell and home number the previous night, both of which had been correct. Obtaining them had required a bit of detective work. Or, at least, getting his cell phone number had. His home phone number was in the school directory. Nonetheless, he had his ways. He hadn't been expecting to acquire any new information in these pursuits. Certainly not any information about Shino.

But as it so happened, _she_ had been the one to answer the phone when he called Suzune's house number. And he had called well past ten, going on eleven o'clock. Which naturally, after hastily hanging up, left him with the question of _why_. _Why had she been at Kujyou's at all hours of the night?_

It was already second period. He couldn't for the life of him remember anything that had happened in first period. Once again, he was seated in the back like he was in all his classes. His beloved sat directly in front of him, however. Normally, he'd be euphoric sitting so close to her. But today it only made him more desperate to understand the events of the previous night. He tried to review both of the short calls he'd made to gather any clues.

He had called Suzune's cell phone first. Suzune had only said his name, but Kiriko had heard enough of his voice to reason that he hadn't been sleeping when he'd answered his cell. The same goes for Shino, who answered when he called the house phone. He had spaced the phone calls an hour apart so as not to cause too much suspicion. He didn't have any idea what time Shino had arrived at Kujyou's house or what time she had left. But either way, she had been there with him at around eleven o'clock. Which means they'd been doing something together. At eleven o'clock at night. And he couldn't for the life of him figure out what.

_What does this all _mean_?_ Immediately after the last call, his mind had jumped to all sorts of places. But sometime early that morning logic started to kick in.

As far as he knew, Suzune had both parents and a little sister. He and Shino couldn't have been up to anything too...forbidden. Not with his whole family in the house.

_But what if they were out? _But what would they be out doing at eleven o'clock at night? Granted, his parents might have been away. But his sister was only about 11, as far as Kiriko knew. It was unlikely she was out as well.

He was keeping notes of all possible scenarios in his new notebook partly because it helped him think, but also to make it look as if he were taking notes for class.

Another thing that troubled him was that Shino had seemed comfortable answering the phone. This wouldn't be typical of someone who was just the occasional guest. This led him to believe that she went to Suzune's house fairly often.

And again came the unexplained anger towards Suzune.

Kiriko had been watching Shino for a long time. But only in school. Only during school hours. And on class field trips, of course. But he had never felt the compulsion to follow her around after school. Until now.

He stared at the back of her head, silently questioning her. For a while, he had zoned out. But now he watched her more carefully. _She seems anxious today...fidgety._ Shino was squirming restlessly in her seat. Occasionally she would turn her head slightly in either direction, then snap back forward. He felt an emotional tug towards her. How fitting that they were both so uneasy. _I wonder what she's thinking about.._

Shino couldn't focus. She couldn't hear a word the teacher was saying, couldn't understand anything that was written on the board. She could only feel Kiriko's eyes on her. She couldn't turn around to check; she was too scared. But she knew with a kind of certainty that he was watching her and had been for quite some time.

_Why is he staring at me?_

Now, through all the years that they had gone to the same school, she had occasionally felt this feeling. She figured everyone did when they were near Kiriko Karasuma. Like they were being watched, scrutinized...But today his focus on her was so intense it was scary. And she couldn't stop the word "curse" from popping up in her mind.

_Maybe it's just because I'm sitting in front of him._ This was just one of a long list of Maybes she had thought of to avoid thinking of curses and Ren's warnings. _Maybe there's something in my hair._ As casually as possible, she reached up to smooth down the back of her hair, half-expecting to feel the hairy legs of a spider crawling over her scalp or some kind of sticky substance. But her hair felt fine and her hand came away clean.

When the bell rang, she practically flew out of the room. Her stuff was gathered in a heap as she raced to her next class, far, far away from Kiriko Karasuma.

"It sounds like someone's playing a trick on Suzune-kun," Tama said. She and Shino were watching Ren, Suzune, and a couple of other guys playing basketball. Shino hadn't said anything at lunch, mostly because Suzune had told her not to worry, but as soon as gym started she'd told Tama about the phone calls. But judging by they way she shrugged and promptly forgot about it, Tama didn't think it was that big of a deal either.

"Hey...hey!" Tama snapped her fingers in front of Shino's face. "What's with you?"

Shino blushed. "Sorry." She'd been watching Suzune make a jump shot. "I've got a lot on my mind."

After the first few days, Shino began to think of gym as sort of bittersweet. On the one hand, she was a terrible athlete. Putting any piece of sporting equipment in her hands was like letting a baby play with a grenade. Things blew up in her face pretty quickly. But then again...she got to watch Suzune looking cooler than usual and setting all kinds of athletic school records.

"Yeah..." Her brunette friend looked over at the boys, her eyes skimming over Suzune and locking onto Ren. "I know what you mean."

One of the great things about having gym indoors was that there wasn't enough room in the gynasium to fully separate the girls and the boys while they were playing, so classes were mixed. For the most part, the boys played basketball while the girls jumped rope or walked the perimeter of the gym. After untangling Shino's legs from several feet of plastic rope, she and Tama took the safe route and walked.

"Kujyou-kun's soooooo amazing at everything~..." A love-sick voice drawled behind them.

"Uh-oh," Tama whispered. "Suzune-Z, six o'clock."

Shino groaned, but couldn't stop herself from listening in.

"He's so fast and strong!"

"How often do you think he works out?"

"Like, everyday."

"Yeah."

"Definitely."

"Ooooh! I can't take it anymore! How am I going to invite him?"

"I say we ask him right now."

"But he's in the middle of a game. And besides, I don't wanna sound desperate."

_Too late_, Shino thought. Had it been anyone else but a Suzune-Z member, she would've chided herself for being so callous.

"We could use the indirect route..."

"What do you...!"

Suddenly it got very quiet. Shino assumed they had walked away when one of them sprang up between her and Tama. She was one of the scarier members of the fanclub, built tall and a bit thick with short hair and a round face. Yu Hiroso. "Tama-tan! Higuchi-san! I'm glad I ran into you! You guys are coming to my party, right?"

"Party?" Tama asked brightly.

"It's this Saturday. Its a pool party, so bring bathing suits."

"What time?" Tama asked.

"Hey, wait..." Shino was visibly blanching at the idea of going onto Suzune-Z territory. That was like walking into the lion's den. But when it came to parties, Tama couldn't be stopped. And she got invited to everything. By association, Shino had been to nearly as many, most of them fun, but she had to draw the line _somewhere._ "I don't know...

Yu frowned. It was an irritated frown, but she was clearly trying to make it look more like disappointed. "Aw, _please_, Higuchi-san! I really really want you there!"

_You mean you_ really really _want Suzune-kun there..._

"C'mon Shino-chan! It'll be fun," Tama assured her with a mile-wide smile.

_Whose side is she on?_ "...I-I guess."

"Yay!" Yu pumped her fist. "Be sure to invite your friends. Ok?"

"Sure."

"Promise?"

"Yeah."

"Swear?"

_Alright, alright, I'll bring Suzune-kun! Geez!_ "Yes."

"Awesome." With one last triumphant smile, Yu retreated back into her group's formation.

Tama clapped her hands excitedly. "This is going to be great!"

_This is going to be a disaster..._

Kiriko watched Shino and Tama pass by with a wistful gaze. He wasn't even pretending to play basketball with the rest of his class. He had secluded himself in a far corner of the gym. A corner from which he could hear Shino and Tama discussing a party as the rounded by him.

_A party..._ he thought absently. He'd never been to one. But he had heard stories about them. Usually embarrassing stories. _She's too demure for that kind of thing. I'm sure she only goes because that Tama girl drags her._

Then a thought struck him: Kujyou would most likely be at this party. It would offer him the perfect chance to observe him outside of school. Shino too. He might even get the opportunity to talk to her.

_I can't pass that up_. His decision was final. Now all that was left was to figure out how on Earth he would get himself invited.

* * *

Cuxie: Phew! Long chappy! I'm winded...

Tama: Anyone wanna talk about how super-creepy Kiriko's gotten?

Cuxie: Totally! Now he's stalking Suzune-kun!

Tama: There's no way he'll get invited.

Ren: You two are such gossips.

Cuxie: R&R! I need a certain amount of reviews to continue!


	7. Chapter 7

Cuxie: Yahoo!

Suzune: Ah, Cuxie, long time no see.

Cuxie: Suzune-kuuuun~3 (glomps Suzune)

Suzune: Whoa! Uh, you sure are...affectionate today.

Cuxie: Teehee! ^-^ *chu*

Suzune:(=O.O=)

Cuxie: Suzune-kun's so cute!

Suzune: C-Cuxie...!

Ren: Why don't I ever get any love?

Cuxie: My heart belongs only to Suzune-kun!

Ren: I thought your heart belonged to his dad?

Suzune: Ren! Don't just stand there, do something!

Ren:...Rolling?

* * *

The gang was seated at an outdoor cafe table, drinking beverages and eating sugary treats. Well, most of the gang anyway. Ren Akai had yet to show up, despite being the one to call to order a "Code Black Emergency Defense Meeting". All, still in their school uniforms, Tama, Shino, and Suzune waited patiently, discussing other important things in Ren's absence.

"So do you think you can go?" Tama asked excitedly. She was leaning forward, anticipating Suzune's answer.

"Um..." He scratched his head nervously. "I don't know...I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to watch Kazuka that day. My parents are going out...or something."

"_All_ day? It's a pool party! It's not like it'll be at night."

Suzune shrugged.

"And couldn't you bring her with?"

"Uh..." Thinking on it briefly, Suzune knew Kazuka would be psyched to go to a party with a bunch of older kids. And it wasn't like she was particularly embarrassing...usually. But something told him that bringing your little sister to a party you weren't even explicitly invited to was a social no-no. "I don't even know Hiroso-san well. She might be annoyed if I bring my little sister."

Shino snorted quietly. "You could bring an elephant and it wouldn't annoy her," she muttered.

Suzune and Tama both blinked at her. Up until that point, she'd been unusually quite, and she hadn't touched her berry parfait. "Um, are you okay?" Suzune asked. "You seem kind of upset."

"Peachy." Shino pouted. In truth, she was a little miffed with Tama for pressuring not only her, but now Suzune, into going to Yu's stupid party. She _had_ to know that Yu didn't really want them there; only the guys. But Tama was such a party girl she probably didn't care. _But it's my fault too_, Shino thought to herself. _I could've just said no..._ She had been weighing her pros and cons all day. On the one hand, it was a pool party, which meant she'd get to see Suzune in nothing but swim trunks. (The thought of which made her blush.) On the other hand, she'd be lucky if she managed to get within ten feet of Suzune once they were on Suzune-Z territory. (She was positive the fangirls would find some way to pry her away from him.) _They'll probably lock me in a closet the whole time..._

Shino's face was incredibly easy to read. Suzune watched her pensive expression curiously. She was waging war with herself, from the frustrated, nearly defeated look on her face. But over what? "Hey-"

"Oi! Sorry I'm late!" Ren came crashing in. He dumped his bookbag on the ground next to the empty chair near Tama. "I got caught up in a two-on-two match with-"

"You put off this _super important meeting_ for basketball?" Tama interrupted sarcastically. Ren took one look at her. There was a dab of whipped cream on her cheek from her strawberry crepe, and in one quick motion he swooped down and licked it off. "WAH! Ren-kun!" Tama pressed a hand to her rapidly reddening face.

Ignoring her reaction, he sat down and addressed Suzune and Shino with a serious expression. "Now, I'm sure you all know why I called you here." The stared back blankly. "Hello? Code Black?"

"What does that even mean?" Shino asked.

Ren through up his hands in exasperation. "Oh, _c'mon_! Code _Black_? Do I really have to spell it out?"

"Well, considering we never worked out a code system..."

He raked a hand haphazardly through his auburn hair. "Fine. As of right now, Code Black means we've encountered a paranormal or supernatural threat."

Suzune cocked his head at his friend. "What are you talking about?"

"Karasuma, _obviously!_ The guy's been acting crazy weird lately. I _know _you guys have noticed it."

At the mention of Kiriko Karasuma, Shino's heart picked up the pace. Recalling the feel of his eyes glued to her throughout class, she shivered.

"Ren-kun, I told you not to feed into the rumors," Tama chided. "I'm sure Kiriko-san is perfectly nice once you get to know him."

"Good luck finding someone to vouch for that," Ren muttered. "I'm telling you, he's set his sights on one of us, and we'd better find out why and do something about it before we're sacrificed to demons or something."

"Don't be silly. There's no such things as demons."

"So? If _he_ thinks there are that won't stop him from trying to turn one of us into an offering or something."

Suzune turned to Shino with a grin. "I can't believe he called us all the way out here for this."

"Well..." Shino thought about mentioning the weird way Kiriko had been watching her. But she didn't want Suzune to think she was overreacting. She certainly hadn't jumped to the conclusions Ren had. Still...she felt deeply certain that something about Kiriko Karasuma just wasn't right. "Actually..."

"I'm telling you," Tama persisted, "there's nothing to the rumors of Kiriko-Look, there he is!" She jumped up in her seat, pointing towards a table inside the cafe. Sitting beneath a flickering bulb in the corner of the room, sat a figure that looked very much like Kiriko Karasuma.

"He's _here_?" Ren cried, alarmed. His eyes widened visibly. "I _told you_ he was spying on us!"

"Oh, hush. I'm going to go bring him here so you can see for yourself what a nice guy he is."

"WHA-" Before he could even protest, Tama had already sprung out of her seat and gone inside. "Wha...wha...what is she _doing_?" Suzune and Shino stared, equally astonished. From their place just outside the cafe doors, they could see Tama approach Kiriko's table. "It's like watching her walk into a lion's den," Ren said, half-rising out of his seat as if to go save her. They all saw her boldly tap Kiriko on the shoulder, and him look up in surprise. Tama was all smiles as she gestured to the three of them waiting outside. Kiriko glanced in the direction she pointed, and all three of them looked away. Then, as they dared to look up again, they were shocked to find Kiriko rising out of his seat and following Tama back to their table, a small leatherbound notebook in hand.

"He's coming over here. _He's actually coming over here_. What the heck? What do we do?"

Attempting to be the voice of reason, Suzune responded: "Just...calm down. Stop freaking out. There's nothing to be worried about. He's a person just like the rest of us." Ren looked at him like he'd just said Kiriko was a flesh-eating monster. "Just try to be nice."

While Suzune tried to talk some sense into Ren, Shino was struck silent. _Why did Tama-tan have to go and do that?_ Her heart was felt like it'd been struck by a giant gong. Then she realized the only available seat was between her and Tama-tan. She scooted her seat as close to Suzune-kun as she could manage as Tama arrived with Kiriko.

"Hey guys~!" she said brightly, as if she weren't about to curse them all. "You all know Kiriko Karasuma-san," She introduced him with a flourish and a small wave of her hands. "Kiriko-san, that's Suzune Kujyou-kun, Ren Akai-kun, and Shino Higuchi-chan."

Kiriko bowed slightly, but said nothing.

"H-hey," Suzune said, forcing his best smile.

Ren managed a curt nod.

Feeling his eyes on her Shino managed to look up for all two seconds and mutter a quick 'hi'.

"So have a seat, Kiriko-san," Tama motioned to the place next to her and Kiriko sat down. "We were just talking about Yu-chan's party. Are you going?"

Kiriko's eyes widened ever so slightly. He adjusted his glasses and leveled his gaze with hers. "...I can't be certain, as of right now."

"Well, I think we should all go together!" Tama smiled brightly. "What do you say Kiriko-san?"

Kiriko stared at her blankly for a moment...then looked away. In a low voice he said, "I'm...not very familiar with Hiroso-san. I'm unsure of whether of not she would approve."

"It'll be fine if you come with us," Tama assured him. "Yu-chan told me and Shino-chan to invite all our friends. So consider this your official invitation."

The table was enveloped in a cloud of silence as Kiriko considered the proposition and the rest of the table looked on in varying degrees of horror. It was some stretch of the imagination for Tama to be calling Kiriko a 'friend'. After a moment, Kiriko turned to look at Suzune. "Will you be attending Kujyou?"

Suzune blinked. "Um, I dunno. Maybe..." He shifted in his seat a bit, squirming under the steady gaze of Kiriko's blood red eyes. _Why is he looking at me like that_, he thought.

Shino continued to sit in silence, staring at her lap and leaning as far away from Kiriko as she could manage without seeming rude. Ever since Ren pointed it out a few days ago, she couldn't help feeling uncomfortable in his presence.

"...I will consider it."

"Great!" Tama seemed completely unphased by the hesitation in his voice.

"Tama..." Ren started through gritted teeth, "would you come with me for a second. We need...napkins."

She blinked. "No one spilled anything-"

"Well, let's not wait until they do," He practically dragged her out of her seat and into the cafe.

Leaving Shino and Suzune alone with Kiriko. The dark haired boy seemed perfectly content to stare intently at both of them. Shino and Suzune, however, seemed much less comfortable with the sudden turn of events. Shino looked from Suzune to Kiriko. They were like polar opposites, Suzune's warm green eyes and inviting nature contrasting starkly with Kiriko's disquieting aura and unsettling red stare. They were like the opposite ends of a magnet. Naturally, she felt a constant pull towards one end and a repulsion from the other. She scooted slightly closer to Suzune.

Suzune, uncomfortable with the prolonged silence, cleared his throat. "So, um, Kiriko-san. Funny running into you here. What were you doing?"

Kiriko considered the question for a moment before answering. "Research."

"For a class?"

Kiriko shook his head. "It's more of an...interest."

"...I see." He didn't, really, because who does research at a cafe? And research about what? But Suzune was the polite type, so he didn't comment on Kiriko's oddness. Another long silence ensued. Kiriko continued to stare, picking up his book after a moment to take notes.

"Kujyou, would you mind if I asked you a few questions?"

"Um...okay."

"Do you have any hobbies?"

Suzune blinked. "...I do archery. Wh-"

"Interesting. Favorite food?"

"Um...curry?"

"Prefered genre of music?"

Shino interrupted before Suzune could answer. "Karasuma-san..." She began hesitantly.

Kiriko stopped writing and looked up instantly. "Y-Yes?"

"Are you...researching _people_?"

Kiriko was about to give an affirmitive response, but the look on Shino's face made him hesitate. Naturally, he hadn't planned to come right out and say he was studying Suzune in particular, but clearly she wouldn't find 'researching people' to be a relatively normal activity. He was at a loss, but he couldn't quite pinpoint where he'd gone wrong. Unable to backtrack his way into safer territory, he stood abruptly. "If you'll excuse me, I have somewhere I need to be."

They watched him go in stunned confusion.

"...That was weird." Suzune said after awhile. Shino nodded.

"Sorry we took so long." Ren suddenly appeared beside them. He and Tama sat back down.

"Where's Kiriko-san?" Tama asked.

Ren looked from Shino to Suzune as neither one of them attempted to answer. He groaned, "I knew it. He cursed you, didn't he?"

* * *

Cuxie: Oh. My. GOD! No one, NO ONE, knows how hard its been to update lately. It's literally taken WEEKS for me to get this one chapter done. AND ITS NOT EVEN THAT GREAT! I'm losing faith in my authoress abilities...TT_TT

Shino: Cuxie-

Cuxie: SILENCE! I don't want to talk about it. 3 Just...R&R...or not. I'm really...I just...Ugh.


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